For the third week in a row, I’m talking about weddings! But this time, I’ll be a bridesmaid instead of the bride, for my younger sister’s July wedding in Massachusetts. Both she and I went straight for J. Crew when we were looking for bridesmaid dresses because they offer multiple cuts in the same fabrics. I ultimately went with David’s Bridal because I wasn’t crazy about J. Crew’s colors at the time, and David’s was cheaper and had more cuts to choose from.

But my sister’s style errs on the preppy side, and J. Crew is totally her style, so when they offered a 25% off deal, she went for it (and there was another 25% off coupon this past week, so if you’re interested in these dresses, definitely sign up for the mailing list!).

The two dresses she offered the maids were the strapless, sweetheart neckline Marlie or the deep-V Sophie, in sea spray faille. They’re the exact same silhouette aside from the straps.

The Sophie.Sophie on the model.Sophie in profile.

Since I never shop at J. Crew, and it takes months to get an appointment in their bridal shops, I went by the size chart and ordered online. Unfortunately, the size chart turned out to be completely incorrect. At 37”-29”-41”, I’m between their size 8 (36.5” bust and 29” waist) and 10 (37.5” bust and 30” waist). I ordered the 8, but when it arrived, I was completely swimming in it. It was just hanging off me and I could make a fist out of all the extra fabric:

Apologies for the terrible phone selfie.

Next I went to a J. Crew store to re-order it. I was hoping to just look at a smaller size on the floor to figure out if I needed a 4 or a 6, but they wouldn’t even let me in the bridal suite without an appointment. I asked if there was someone working who could advise me on sizing, and the cashier said the only people who know anything about the bridal merchandise are the bridal consultants and they were all busy.

I even tried just asking the cashier if he could advise on J. Crew’s normal dress sizes, explaining that I had technically sized slightly down with the 8 based on the chart, and it was humongous. But he didn’t know anything either! This was really aggravating. I ended up just going with the 4 and figuring I could come back and exchange it again if necessary. Two dress exchanges would literally take less time than the wait for a bridal appointment.

A few days later, the 4 arrived and it was a big improvement…but to be honest this is not a boob-friendly dress, and after trying it on again this week I don’t think it’s very flattering on me overall. It’s pretty obvious that it was designed with a straighter figure in mind, but I don’t think I could have sized up and gotten it tailored because the arm-holes are already too big and showing off my bra.

First up, the measurement discrepancies: Size 4 is supposed to fit a 34.5” bust and 27” waist, but when laid flat the waist actually measures 15.5” for a total of 31”. As for the bust, it does have three-dimensional cups, so if I allow my measuring tape to follow the boob curve while the dress is laid out, it’s about 19”, and measuring flat across the back is 17”, for a total of 36”.

So overall, the size 4 is an inch and a half bigger in the bust and four inches bigger in the waist. What the hell is J. Crew thinking?? Not only are the measurements off significantly, but the bust-to-waist ratio is also wildly off. The listed measurements have a difference of 7.5 inches (and this applies to most of the sizes), but the actual garment has a difference of only 5 inches.

Here are photos of the dress on me:

As you can see, it fits okay, but as usual the dress is not curving under my bust. Additionally, it’s a bit small in the bust, just enough to squish my boobs together and make some cleavage. I don’t particularly mind this, but it’s something to keep in mind if you need to look conservative.

I thought the dress would look cuter if I belted it, and my sister wants me to wear a sash or something anyway, to differentiate myself as the maid of honor, so I got a couple different wide ribbons to try out. The one I like best is a 2.5-inch wide slightly stiff grosgrain. It really helps define my waist better, and to lower the waist to where mine is actually located (my long torso strikes again!).

Unfortunately, though, the poof of the skirt in front, the shape of my tummy, and the slippery fabric of both the dress and the ribbon mean that it instantly slides up to a very unflattering position and basically outlines the roundness of my belly:

From the side, it practically looks like a maternity dress:

So what’s the solution? I’m hoping I can figure out some non-permanent way to make the ribbon stay in place in front. I might have to just sew a tiny stitch right in the center of my tummy and then remove it later.

Aside from all the negative comments about fit, there are some positives. The quality is really lovely. The fabric is heavy and feels nice, and the garment is fully lined. It also has pockets! And these pockets are actually big enough to hold a good amount of stuff, but thanks to the full, stiff skirt, you can’t see whatever’s in them. So I’ll be able to slip lipstick, a compact mirror, cash, and ID in the pockets, at minimum. Maybe my digital camera too . . . .

One other excellent design feature is that the straps have little loops to hold your bra straps in place. Why don’t all dresses have this??

Open.Closed.

I do have to note, however, that the loops are under an inch wide, so if you wear GG+ bras (which tend to have thicker straps), these may not work for you.

Overall impression: The dress is nice, but J. Crew really needs to sort out its sizing issues. And this design is definitely not what I would describe as “boob-friendly.”

6 comments on “Off the Rack ~ A Review of the J. Crew “Sophie” Bridesmaid Dress”

Here’s a thought that I’m coming up with as I work on my shirt pattern: we need more ease in the waist than we do in the bust. This may explain the extra inches added to the waist compared to the bust.

I suppose that makes sense, but then they should just BE HONEST with the size chart. And they need to make the arm holes smaller, so that people can size up for the bust and get the dress tailored. I actually left a review on the J. Crew site, and got a response. Here’s what I wrote, followed by the message they sent me:

I don’t know what J. Crew is thinking with their size chart. It is completely wrong. My measurements are between a 10 and 12 on their chart, so I went with the 10, but it was HUMONGOUS. I exchanged for a 4, and it’s as good a fit as I’m going to get but it’s still not great. The size chart says a 4 should fit 34.5″ bust and 27″ waist, but in reality this dress measures 36″ bust and 31″ waist. As such, it’s way too big in the waist and slightly small in the bust on me. I would have gotten a 6 and had it tailored, but I suspect that would be difficult considering all the pleating AND the arm-holes of the 4 are already too big and show off my bra, so going up a size would have exacerbated this issue. I’m still wearing it because I have no choice, but J. Crew FIX YOUR SIZING.

Hello Leah,
I’m sorry to hear that the size of your new dress was so off! I’m happy that the size 4 fits much better, and that you’re able to wear it. I’ll be sure to share your comments and concerns with my team, so we can look into this. Please let me know if there’s anything I can help with. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for shopping with J.Crew!

There are several reviews noting that it runs big and/or fits weird, so hopefully they will truly take customer feedback into account.

It’s not just that dress, the whole of JCrew’s sizing is WAY off. It’s all that vanity sizing crap. I regularly took a 2 or occasionally a 4 when I was a size 6, and was fitting into some XXS tops, but mostly wore XS. I just bought a skirt there a few weeks ago, and it’s a size 4-I’m now smack dab in an 8 everywhere else. It’s pretty screwy, really. I wish they’d quit doing that.

The sizing is definitely effed up. Regarding the cut of the dress, I think I’ve seen either you, or another fairly young blogger comment before on dresses or tops which fail to cup the underside of the bust… Obviously you are completely entitled to dislike this feature or prefer cuts that do cup the bust and define the bust/waist difference better, but I just wanted to point out that this is a conscious design choice rather than a construction fail. Many dresses and tops are designed to fit looser rather than being body-skimming, and to create a smooth gradual curve from the apex of the bust down to the waist, which usually means you will have a lot of ease at the waist (and would even if you weren’t busty). If you see vertical seaming that runs continuously from the apex of the bust (or above) down to the waistline, as you do on this dress, that’s pretty much a guarantee that this is the intended effect, even if the curving of the seams makes it LOOK like the dress is creating an in-and-out shape. Dresses and tops that create a clean break between the volume of the bust and the waist will tend to use vertical seaming or darts that start *below* the space intended for the bust.